The Volt is dead, long live the Volt!

[Big Dog]

The Volt was a good car. It got no advertising or backing from GM

It may be a great car, but that doesn't mean its profitable. At a minimum, it was a compliance car. At best, it was a toe into the shallow end of electrification. (Chevy never claimed it would be available at all dealerships.)

full disclosure: never been a fan of hybrids, so I drove a 28 year-old Volvo awaiting the M3.

 

[ℬête Noire]

It may be a great car, but that doesn't mean its profitable.

Don’t Worry, 2016 Chevrolet Volt Will Be A Profitable Venture For GM

Not heavily profitable, and was still a developing platform (where automobile companies expect losses on to start with because of the fixed, sunk upfront costs) but per unit was OK.

It's problem was sales and longterm strategic fit. EDIT: This included the Cruze getting axed, with which it shared a number of parts making part of it's part supply more expensive due to loss of scale, and the other vehicles at it's plant getting axed so it didn't have a home as it couldn't possibly carry the plant by itself.

At a minimum, it was a compliance car.

It was not this, in any rational meaning of that phrase.

At best, it was a toe into the shallow end of electrification.

It was Bob Lutz losing an argument over his wish to go full BEV. Primarily for the reason of political & courtroom optics as GM was in a legal fight against CARB at the time and were arguing that BEV couldn't be done. So the Volt, in that sense, was anti-compliance.

 

[Kichwas]

I'm sorry but when automakers decided to go with compliance vehicles and not even do much to market them or work on something that made more sense from the ground up, I don't fault Tesla for that. Heck the Roadster has been out there for quite some time and proved how exciting an EV could be. Elon even went so far to share Tesla patents and offered up the Superchargers if they were willing to pay for their share. No takers. So they are all getting caught with their pants down, some more than others. It wasn't that many months ago when even the major overseas manufacturers were saying no way to EVs. Couldn't hide from the Model 3s blow out success and the fact that yes even the average family who has only owned cars in the $20-40K range would buy a Model 3 at a higher price because it was so damn appealing, fun to drive and totally EV so non-polluting.

While I don't have much if any sympathy for these manufacturers, I do for the people they employ and the communities that will be affected.

But that is faulting Tesla.

ICE makers didn’t adapt when Tesla came around. If not for Tesla, they could continue to not adapt.

As for sympathy for the workers...

I have zero.

They’re red staters. That means they’ve been voting against climate policy and against unions and against education and against pensions and against health care and against diversity and against global trade... and now they are reaping the results of their choice of politics.

 

[brianman]

That's a forum with nowhere near the visibility.

That's a poor reason.

"Let's put everything on the front page of the paper since it gets more visibility." No, content should go in the appropriate section.

 

[bro1999]

They’re red staters.

Perhaps not for long. OH and MI may both flip back blue if GM indeed goes ahead with the announced layoffs, since the Cheeto man promised the factories would not close.

 

[GMan324]

Enjoyed ours 2nd gen as well. Changed my stereotypes of GM/domestic cars. It had its fair share of small build quality issues but the powerttain was solid. Still charges 100% after three years and 60k miles. Their LG battery tech is fantastic.

I know what you meant, but all electric cars will always charge to 100% no matter how old. It is the 100% mileage that changes, not the percent. LOL

I still have my 2014 Volt and get similar mileage for the past several years. No supercharging and SLOW (16A) home charging helps the battery last longer also.

PS
These posts are missing the point. GM didn't just cancel the Volt, they are stopping production of sedans, so most of the points people are making about why the Volt is being discontinued are irrelevant. The Volt cancellation was mostly because it is a sedan.

 

[wws]

It is a sad day - because the Volt is really the best of the PHEVs. It works well for many folks situations. If only GM had done a better job of advertising it... But it may have also been a victim of the 200K car limit on tax credits - meaning they didn't want to sell "too many" of them compared to the competition.

GM could save some face by offering the Malibu with a Volt-like battery pack. They already offer Malibus with the Voltec drivetrain - but in a non-plug-in hybrid configuration with a small battery. One of the bigger complaints about the Volt was the smallish back seat area. A PHEV Malibu (or better yet, Buick Regal) could answer that.

In any event, we've enjoyed ours for the past three years and will keep it for a long time.

 

[Big Dog]

Not heavily profitable, and was still a developing platform (where automobile companies expect losses on to start with because of the fixed, sunk upfront costs) but per unit was OK.

Say what? You gonna accept the pre-hype spin? Just bcos Lutz claimed the upcoming version "would" be profitable, does not make it so. Seems any public pronouncements, i.e., legal per the SEC, of profitability after v.2 was delivered? Then of course, what is 'profitable'? Just cover operating costs? Life of a customer (including service)?

If they were making decent money on the car, they'd keep it going. But in reality, they think the all electric is the way to go.

Famously Unprofitable: One Of GM's Biggest Money Pits Was Made During Bankruptcy

 

[Rockster]

Article mentions wondering who to blame, and I have to wonder if the answer isn’t Tesla.

GM’s issues seem to be the precursor of what all ICE makers will face as EVs take over.

Yes this is a PHEV, but it is just a part of what GM is shedding in an attempt to refocus away fron areas Tesla is dominanting.

Eventually Tesla will come for the SUV and Pickup markets as well, and plant closings of companies “long on ICE” will increase... and they will run out of PHEVs to shed and have to start shedding their main product lines as well...

The answer to "who is to blame?" is not Tesla. GM has had decades head start and vastly more financial and logistical resources to do what Tesla has done. They've laughably squandered the opportunity. GM's missteps are too numerous to mention.

 

[Ciditad]

Do current and former Volt owners agree if GM put the VOLTEC powertrain into say an SUV like the Equinox they'd have much more sales on their hands? I totally would have bought one with a 17-20kW battery pack.

 

[MXWing]

Do current and former Volt owners agree if GM put the VOLTEC powertrain into say an SUV like the Equinox they'd have much more sales on their hands? I totally would have bought one with a 17-20kW battery pack.

It will depend on the cost and compromises. One of the Volts flaws is that it is not a true five seater due to the battery placement. Chrysler Pacifica loses a seat as well when optioned with PHEV.

Equinox would have been a good 3 year lease but all eyes will be on Model Y.

 

[StellarRat]

The answer to "who is to blame?" is not Tesla. GM has had decades head start and vastly more financial and logistical resources to do what Tesla has done. They've laughably squandered the opportunity. GM's missteps are too numerous to mention.

They created the EV1 then scrapped them all. So, they beat Tesla and everyone else with a production EV, but then they squandered everything. Like I said they have no vision and appear to led by idiots.

 

[SMAlset]

But that is faulting Tesla.

ICE makers didn’t adapt when Tesla came around. If not for Tesla, they could continue to not adapt.

As for sympathy for the workers...

I have zero.

They’re red staters. That means they’ve been voting against climate policy and against unions and against education and against pensions and against health care and against diversity and against global trade... and now they are reaping the results of their choice of politics.

Sorry but the blame for their poor sales, now and in the near future, lays at the feet of those companies failing to promote EV research and investment. No rationale for blaming the messenger (who in this case is Tesla promoting EVs) and if not Tesla it would have been someone else...maybe in this country or outside of it. The EV wave was already formed before Tesla.

Sad you don't have any sympathy for the workers. Those thousands of people working at those plants don't always have well paying job opportunities where they live and there are many skilled workers among them. The company's executives and management set the course for the company's products, not the employees.

 

[wws]

Do current and former Volt owners agree if GM put the VOLTEC powertrain into say an SUV like the Equinox they'd have much more sales on their hands? I totally would have bought one with a 17-20kW battery pack.

I think a lot of folks would like one - assuming the costs are reasonable. (E.g., don't let Cadillacs pencil pushers anywhere near it.) Face it - rational or not, 98% of the car buying public is still distrustful of plug-in cars. PHEVs are going to serve as transitional cars for a long time - whether GM chooses to build them or not.

 

[StellarRat]

I think a lot of folks would like one - assuming the costs are reasonable. (E.g., don't let Cadillacs pencil pushers anywhere near it.) Face it - rational or not, 98% of the car buying public is still distrustful of plug-in cars.

Maybe, but I think we're nearing a "critical mass" of EV owners that will be spreading the word and that will be ending soon. I've noticed a huge shift in the types of questions people ask me about EVs from 2011 when I got my Leaf. In those days it was mostly, "How can you go anywhere?" and having to explain charging and charge times, to now when it's usually just "How's the Tesla running?". That's kind of weird question since it does really "run" in the sense of how an ICE car "runs", but I just say it's working fine.

 

[wws]

Maybe, but I think we're nearing a "critical mass" of EV owners that will be spreading the word and that will be ending soon. I've noticed a huge shift in the types of questions people ask me about EVs from 2011 when I got my Leaf. In those days it was mostly, "How can you go anywhere?" and having to explain charging and charge times, to now when it's usually just "How's the Tesla running?". That's kind of weird question since it does really "run" in the sense of how an ICE car "runs", but I just say it's working fine.

Well where I live, in the San Jose/Silicon Valley area, it is easy to think we are starting to hit a critical mass. In fact in the town I live in, apparently our residents buy plug-ins in double digit percentages of their new car purchases. But travel elsewhere in the country, and percentages are in fractions of a percent.

 

[SJC3]

I know what you meant, but all electric cars will always charge to 100% no matter how old. It is the 100% mileage that changes, not the percent. LOL...

Still charged full bars (~100% best we can tell) and got the same range as when it was new. That's all I could ask for when Leafs around us would lose multiple bars after a couple years.

 

[SJC3]

It will depend on the cost and compromises. One of the Volts flaws is that it is not a true five seater due to the battery placement. Chrysler Pacifica loses a seat as well when optione

The middle back seat bump (5th "Seat") didn't bother us on the 2nd gen. We basically got it as a commuter car due to the HOV sticker. Worked well as a small hatchback for 95% of our needs.

 

[ℬête Noire]

Famously Unprofitable: One Of GM's Biggest Money Pits Was Made During Bankruptcy

Did you fail to read past the headline? Or just do so with the same ineptitude as when you attempted to parse my post?

If they were making decent money on the car, they'd keep it going.

 

[ZoomDoggie]

Well where I live, in the San Jose/Silicon Valley area, it is easy to think we are starting to hit a critical mass. In fact in the town I live in, apparently our residents buy plug-ins in double digit percentages of their new car purchases. But travel elsewhere in the country, and percentages are in fractions of a percent.

In this little corner of southwest VA, my town of roughly 28,000 has four Teslas that I know of...possibly a fifth as I'm not sure the 'red S guy' is actually from inside the town vs. the surrounding county/nearby larger city. I get quite a few stares. Oh, and one of the four may only be parking here for work...not 100% sure where it 'lives'. Seriously. 3 for sure, likely 4, but possibly 5. We do have a nice college though and there are a few that show up during parent events.